15 of the Quirkiest Small Towns In America

Of course, there are the obvious vacation spots—but if you're looking to travel somewhere a little more offbeat this year, check out these kooky little towns that definitely deserve a spot on your bucket list.

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Ferndale, CA

You'd be hard-pressed to discover a place more alluring than Ferndale. The entire town is a registered California Historic Landmark and feels straight out of the movie Pleasantville. The picture-perfect lanes are lined with hundreds of pristinely preserved Victorian business and homes; the latter are known as "Butterfat Palaces" due to the original owners' wealth derived from the dairy industry. Take a walk down main street and you'll be ready to stay until the cows come home.

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Monowi, NE

If one is the loneliest number, the Monowi is the loneliest town. The 2010 United States Census cited it as the only place in the entire country with a population of one. Who is that someone you might ask? Mrs. Elsie Eiler, who runs a library named in her late husband's honor and takes the term sole proprietor to a new level.

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Mount Airy, NC

Mount Airy is said to be the inspiration for the wholesome, American-as-apple pie town featured on the beloved Andy Griffith Show. Today there are Mayberry references at every turn, including tours of the town in squad cars identical to Andy and Barney's, pork chop sandwiches at Snappy Lunch, and even an honest-to-goodness Floyd's Barber Shop.

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Helen, GA

Old Bavaria is alive and well in Georgia's scenic Blue Ridge Mountains. Each and every building in the tiny town of Helen (including Wendy's and Huddle House) is adorned with the gingerbread facades of classic German Alpine architecture. Come ready for sweeping vistas and plenty of schnitzel and sausages.

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Gibsonton, FL

Gibsonton is known as an off-season retreat for carnival employees and performers. (The likes of "Lobster Boy" and "Percilla the Monkey Girl" once called it home.) While the majority of its side show residents have passed away, the town remains a hub for all things carnival. On any given day, you might spot someone swallowing swords at the local diner or an exotic animal grazing in a front yard. "Gibton" as locals call it, also possesses an abundance of carnival artifacts, including one of the country's oldest Ferris wheels.

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Marfa, TX

Over the past few decades this tiny town in the Texas desert has become a hub for artists and hipsters alike. Here, you'll find quirky shops, such as the Cobra Rock Boot Company, maker of antiquated lace-up leather boots, and even quirkier art installations, like the now legendary "Prada Marfa," a 15-foot x 25-foot sculpture designed to look like the exterior of a Prada boutique.

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Metropolis, IL

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Superman's hometown! At least that's what the residents of Metropolis believe about their fair city, which happens to bear the same name as the one depicted in DC comic books. The Illinois town boasts a 15-foot bronze stature of the Man of Steel, a newspaper called The Metropolis Planet, and even hosts an annual Superman celebration. (No Kryptonite allowed, of course.)

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Nameless, TN

This sleepy little Tennessee town is worth a trek if only for the photo-op worthy sign. Local lore varies on where the name, or lack thereof, came from, but many believe it was simply a Post Office clerical error. If Nameless is out of the way then consider checking out of one of these equally unusual spots: Accident, Maryland; Boring, Oregon; Peculiar, MO; or Ugly, TX.

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Opa Locka, FL

All that's missing in this one-of-a-kind Florida town is a magic carpet ride. Inspired by the Arabian Nights tales, it has the largest array of Moorish Revival architecture in the Western hemisphere. Befitting the theme are streets with apropos names such as Sabur Lane, Ali Baba Avenue, and, wait for it, Sesame Street.

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Spencer County Visitor's Bureau

Santa Claus, IN

This city's jolly 'ole name began in 1849 as a joke on the United States Postal Service, which had refused the town name of Santa Fe on the grounds there couldn't be two in a single state. (The first Santa Fe is located four hours south.) Since then, Santa Claus has embraced its magical moniker with a 20-foot Santa statue, street names such as Christmas Boulevard and Kringle Place, an amusement park called Holiday World, and a team of citizens who respond to the thousands of letters that arrive each year for Father Christmas.

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Roswell, NM

Since 1947 there has been heavy debate as to whether or not an Air Force balloon or unidentified spacecraft crashed in Roswell. Since then the New Mexico town has been synonymous with alien sightings and has given rise to a cottage industry of all things extraterrestrial, including the International UFO Museum, behind-the-scenes, conspiracy-fueled tours, and as many alien-themed souvenirs as there are stars in the sky.

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Courtesy of Unclaimed Baggage Center

Scottsboro, AL

This small Alabama town is non-descript save its unusual claim to fame: "The Lost Luggage Capital of the World." That's right, Scottsboro is home to the Unclaimed Baggage Center, a massive retailer where wayward suitcase contents—everything from snow skis and guitars to engagement rings and suits of armor (yes, really)—are up for grabs.

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Solvang, CA

Prepare to be charmed by storybook-like streets of Solvang. In the early 1900s an influx of Danish immigrants left the frigid Midwest to settle on the sunny West Coast, and built dozens of structures in the Danish Provincial style. (Don't miss the windmill!) Today there are numerous bakeries, eateries, and merchants carrying on the Dane's California dream.

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Tombstone, AZ

Once a booming Gold Rush hub, today Tombstone would be a veritable ghost town if not for the 450,000 annual tourists. They come seeking the Wild West by way of boardwalk-lined streets, rowdy saloons, and reenactments of the infamous OK Corral shoot out. Oh, it's also home to the world's largest rose bush.

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Whittier, AK

The phrase "in the neighborhood" takes on new meaning in Whittier, Alaska where most of the town's 214 residents live in a single high-rise building. Known as "the town under one roof," the 14-story structure houses all the small-town essentials: post office, police station, school, mayor's office, and more. And if this sounds like your kind of place, you're in luck. There are currently 288 available units.

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